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Black Misleadership Class Pretends It’s Ready to Fight the Power

Submitted by Glen Ford on Wed, 12/12/2012 - 16:01

by BAR executive editor Glen Ford

Established Black organizations now claim they are ready to make demands of the First Black President. But are they serious? “What Marc Morial of the Urban League, Ben Jealous of the NAACP, Al Sharpton and others have outlined are issue-based suggestion boxes for the president’s perusal.” They're not about to “demanding” anything.

Black Misleadership Class Pretends It’s Ready to Fight the Power

by BAR executive editor Glen Ford

“The Misleaders have purposely set out a little plastic Christmas tree that the Administration can decorate with handy baubles that seem to fit the broad themes.”

After twice bestowing on Barack Obama their unqualified, no-demands-attached electoral support, the self-constituted Black Misleadership Class now claim to be formulating a tentative “agenda” that will guide their political conduct in the months and years ahead. Grandiloquently embracing their “role as the conscience of the nation,” spokespersons for the 60 or so participants at a December 3 closed-door conference, in Washington, listed five broad goals:

*Achieve Economic Parity for African-Americans

*Promote Equity in Educational Opportunity

*Protect and Defend Voting Rights

*Promote a Healthier Nation by Eliminating Healthcare Disparities

*Achieve Comprehensive Reform of the Criminal Justice System

Theoretically, specific demands to achieve these objectives will be developed, later – or maybe not. As Yvette Carnell, of YourBlackWorld, observes, “The items mentioned are so general that any move Obama makes on any of these issues could be considered a win.” Indeed, the Misleaders have purposely set out a little plastic Christmas tree that the Administration can decorate with handy baubles that seem to fit the broad themes.

“George Bush or any other president could also fill up such broadly labeled stockings.”

Promote equity in educational opportunity? Obama’s folks will flash his record and rhetoric on Pell Grants, aid to HBCUs, and other measures: “Done that!” Voting rights? They’ll point to the Justice Department’s lawsuits in the past election cycle. Healthcare disparities? Obamacare – enough said. Criminal justice system reform? The president’s folks will take undo credit for reducing the crack/powder cocaine penalties from 100:1 to 18:1. Economic parity for African Americans? That’s a hard one for a president whose stated, core belief is that a rising tide lifts all boats. However, virtually any existing or proposed public program contains jobs or benefits that can be framed as economically beneficial to Blacks.

George Bush or any other president could also fill up such broadly labeled stockings with themed trinkets or falsely packaged goods: No Child Left Behind and school vouchers, for education; small business tax cuts, for wealth creation; Medicare drug benefits, for healthcare trickle-down; more money for HBCUs, for educational opportunity, or future wealth – take your pick; Bush’s signature on reauthorization of the Voting Rights Act, in 2006.

If not enough programs fit the wish list, then Black appointments always carry great weight with the upwardly mobile Black classes, requiring no substantive benefits for the people whatsoever.

The December 3 conferees are attempting to simulate a capacity and willingness to protect Black America in its greatest economic crisis in modern times – without confronting the politician and party leader that presided over the catastrophe, who has sought a grand austerity bargain with Republicans for the past four years, which he is now on the verge of consummating.

Every “entitlement” program has been placed “on the table” for chopping – just as he promised to do on the eve of taking the oath of office, in 2009. The so-called “fiscal cliff,” a joint GOP-White House production, is an artificially created “crisis” to grease the skids of austerity. The same Misleaders that now feign eagerness to make demands of the First Black President tell their followers that he will fight to protect African Americans from suffering unduly from cliff-related machinations.

“Every ‘entitlement’ program has been placed ‘on the table’ for chopping – just as he promised to do on the eve of taking the oath of office, in 2009.”

They pretend that Obama sincerely wants to help Black folks, who were by far the hardest hit by the failing economy, both before and after the meltdown of 2008. But, not only has this president rejected, as a matter of principle, targeted assistance to Black communities, his administration refused to spend most of $7.6 billion in housing aid set aside by Congress for hardest hit communities – disproportionately African American. Obama twice froze the wages of the disproportionately Black federal workforce. He does not miss an opportunity to impose disproportionate suffering on Black and poor people.

He has expanded the federal prisons budget, even as other agencies were trimmed, and caused the closing of tens of thousands of public schools in favor of charters.

These are the mega-challenges facing Black America, requiring comprehensive demands for transformational solutions. What Marc Morial of the Urban League, Ben Jealous of the NAACP, Al Sharpton and others from President Obama’s election entourage have outlined are issue-based suggestion boxes for the president’s perusal.

“The historical Black political consensus on peace, social and economic justice, which grew out of generations of Black struggle, provides us with a ready and relevant framework for crafting demands.”

An immediate and urgent demand would be “Hands off Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid,” but the December 3 crowd thinks that would crimp Obama’s style – and they’re right. That’s why it’s not on their list: because then they’d have to confront the First Black President, which they are incapable of doing.

The historical Black political consensus on peace, social and economic justice, which grew out of generations of Black struggle, provides us with a ready and relevant framework for crafting demands. Such demands begin with cessation of U.S. aggressive wars and preparations for war. (These days, presidents don’t need Congress to start or stop wars, or to curtail future adventures.) The peace dividend, alone, would go far to fund:

A national jobs and public infrastructure-building program

A national project to provide free and quality public higher education for all

5 Comments

"Promote equity in educational opportunity? Obama’s folks will flash his record and rhetoric on Pell Grants, aid to HBCUs, and other measures: “Done that!” Voting rights? They’ll point to the Justice Department’s lawsuits in the past election cycle. Healthcare disparities? Obamacare – enough said. Criminal justice system reform? The president’s folks will take undo credit for reducing the crack/powder cocaine penalties from 100:1 to 18:1. Economic parity for African Americans? That’s a hard one for a president whose stated, core belief is that a rising tide lifts all boats. However, virtually any existing or proposed public program contains jobs or benefits that can be framed as economically beneficial to Blacks." - Glen Ford

"Black" leaders can't bring forth real demands because it would put Wall st. puppet Obama on the spot and cause them to lose their television programs on BSNBC.

During the old white male chimp-out after the election, the Republican cavemen charged Black people with wanting "free sh*t!"

So why do we have to have all these phony debates about a Black agenda when we already know what the agenda is?

Clear litmus test for Obama:

"The Second Bill of Rights" (the proposal that got FDR murdered by Wall street & London)

Wiki:

The Second Bill of Rights was a list of rights proposed by Franklin D. Roosevelt during his State of the Union Address on January 11, 1944. [1] In his address Roosevelt suggested that the nation had come to recognize, and should now implement, a second "bill of rights". Roosevelt's argument was that the "political rights" guaranteed by the constitution and the Bill of Rights had "proved inadequate to assure us equality in the pursuit of happiness."

Roosevelt's remedy was to declare an "economic bill of rights" which would guarantee everyone:

•Real investigations and prosecutions of persons, and/or break up of organizations that were behind 9/11, COINTELPRO, the international drug trade, the prison industrial complex, police brutality, gentrification, and the financial crisis.

I don't know who's sicker. These Black Leader's or the Black folks that give them a free ride? I mean, Dude, are you serious with this list of meaningless, amorphous, malleable, mess of mealy-mouthed NOTHINGS!!

These people are beyond worthless, pathetic and regressive, they are co-horts of the more effective evil. I mean seriously, aside from having status or the patina of political clout, what good are you, and do regular folk see through the Wizard of Oz's curtains?

I dare say, "No."

Let me tell you guys it's already a rap. There are more Black, "successful Obama-Apologists" manning the airwaves and "media" than you can stick a fork in. Here's the skinny from the "D," I had to put up with Steve Harvey having a live conversation with the Prez one week and the First Lady the next week. I think Steve needs wear a Depends next time he interviews, because he obviously couldn't contain himself.

Listen folks, these people are no dummies. And they are intent on enlisting a bevy of Obama-Apologists from all walks of life, union, entertainment, political, "media," you name it folks. If Jay-Z and Beyonce chilling with the Prez and Steve gives him the thumbs up, and so does Marc, Jessee and Al, then, pardon the french, "Sh**t!!! What's your problem???

BAR, Cornell, Tavis, and you guys, and sadly me, we're all pathetic haters.

Yall don't get it, do you. If you do, and actually, yall really do get it, you'll be more successful going off of Niagra Falls in a barrel (or perhaps more appropo swimming against it's currents) than knocking the Big "O" off his game. Like I said pre-election.

It's Litmus Test upon us. Here's what I predict. The Celtics will do no better than 3rd in the East, barring major injuries, but get to the second round of the playoffs before being ousted.

Wish I can say the same about the "Fight the Power" gang. They starting to look like the Lakers to me. All Talk and No Cattle.

C.N. We aint got time, nor pace nor energy to fully address the dynamics of Obama's "shout-out" to the UAW while he's doing his Free Trade-Riddled "Asian Pivot." Let's call it a "Five on the Black Hand Side Moment. " Look most UAW or SEIU for that matter don't quite comprehend that Prez is looking to export jobs to brutal dictatorships and slaughter-houses like Myamar while he's promoting Right to Work, oh, no, the Peace Prize winner would... Neeevvveerrrr... do that!

Promoting "Right to Work" is kinda like promoting "Comprehensive Reform to the Criminal Justice System." Or crossing the nation to fight for "Tax Increases for the Wealthy" while you gutting the sh**t out of the social safety net.

I said Black folks love symbolism, I was remiss, White Folks, Latinos, Asians, Hispanics, Gays and Lesbians, you name it.. love it to. Recent Vets love it too although the Prez is about to hammer them. Hell, all of us Americans love it, it's all we got, the rest is hollowed out. We're not people anymore, we're commodoties and we behave as such.

"Power to the People" C.N. See you at the Hurricane Sandy Concert/Fund Raiser, which seems strangely necessary since we can't seem to find federal monies to help real Americans as we can foreign and domestic banking giants, worth Gazillions.

If only the hurricane victims could get some Barclay's of London relief efforts as reported in the Federal Reserve Audit. Sad. So I guess we have to petition the "Liberal" artists and musicians huh? Bet you all anxiously waiting to buy the ap and download for Xmas? (You know Steve and Tom Joyner will be promoting it ferociously, plus... pssttt... they hang out with the Prez and First Lady).

It's a virtual world out there. Gil Scott did predict the Revolution Would be Televised. It's a revolution going on brothers and sisters, Gil didn't necessarily say it would be a retro-counter-anti-democratic revolution I suppose? Or were we in a purple haze at the time of comprehension? Did the ephiphany slip our grasp, again? Stay tuned, I' taking all playoff bets.

Gil Scott Heron's song was entitle The Revolution Will NOT Be Televised. The Questions are:

What is the ideological framework

Who will emerge as leaders

Are those who emerge as leaders imparting the TRUTH.

There were two big revolutions in the 20th century that predated television: The Russian Revolution and the Fascist Revolution.

One went against the people the other was develop to serve the people. Being on the Left you'd think it was the former and not the latter but truth be known the Russian Revolution was one of death and distruction and lead to the killing of 60 million Christians while the Fascist revolution improved the lives of her citizens and challenged Jewish power.

It is time you expand your sources of information and go beyond the rhetoric you're getting from this site.

I heard some of Rev. Al Sharpton's interview on Mark Riley's 1600AM morning show a few days ago and it gives a clue to how much the political Sharpton will make demands. When asked to comment on NYS Gov. Cuomo ("son of Mario" as Scott Sommer of "Housing Notebook" WBAI calls him) and his maneuverings in the NYS Senate (backing so called "Independent Democrats Conference"- a small block of Dems who decided after the election to sit with Republicans, thus continuing the Republican power in blocking Dem. majority in Senate), Al Sharpton said,

"That would be 'personality politics' and if we get into 'personality politics' then they have won.". ?????? So, Al Sharpton won't comment on the alleged Dem. Gov. Cuomo. Make demands?

P.S. About Mark Riley: my old memory was right about something- Mark Riley lived in Newtown, CT with his family years ago. He was the only Black kid in his high school, if I remember that correctly. I tuned in to his early morning show this morning, as he mentioned he went up there this weekend and talked to families he knew when he was living there. There hadn't been a murder in ten years in Newtown.

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